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Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement — tremor, stiffness, and slowed motion. It is one of the conditions the VA presumes is linked to Agent Orange exposure.
VA rating schedule, diagnostic code 8004
The VA treats Parkinson's disease as a neurological condition. It is rated under the schedule for neurological conditions in 38 CFR § 4.124a, using Diagnostic Code 8004, which the rules call "paralysis agitans." When a veteran has clear, ascertainable residuals from the disease, the VA assigns a minimum rating of 30 percent, and the rating can scale higher from there. The rules say disabilities from these conditions are rated in proportion to how much they affect motor, sensory, or mental function, and residuals such as tremor, stiffness, or trouble walking can be rated under the related diagnostic codes 8000 through 8025. So what the VA looks at is not just the diagnosis, but how the symptoms actually affect the person.
Parkinson's disease also has a special pathway tied to exposure. Under 38 CFR § 3.309(e), it is on the list of conditions the VA presumes are connected to certain herbicide agents, such as Agent Orange. In plain terms, if a veteran was exposed to a qualifying herbicide agent during service and meets the requirements in 38 CFR § 3.307, the VA can presume the Parkinson's disease is service-connected even without a record of it during service. This presumption is rebuttable, meaning the VA still applies the conditions set out in those rules.
This is general educational information about how the VA's rules work — not legal advice, not a VA decision, and not a prediction about any individual claim. Outcomes depend on your own facts and evidence; a denial can be appealed.
Grounded in federal regulations and VA guidance, independently reviewed June 2026. Educational information, not legal advice or a VA determination.
Across 4,413 Board decisions mentioning Parkinson's disease
A denial is often not the end either — remands (shown below) are sent back for more development and can still end in a grant. These are whole-decision outcomes, not condition-specific success rates or a prediction of your case.
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These are decision-level labels in granted or partly granted decisions mentioning Parkinson's disease. They do not establish which theory succeeded for this condition.
Ratings from individual decisions are not shown until verified against the original source. This does not mean that no rating was assigned. Check the original Board decision.
A decision may address several conditions. Its overall outcome or exposure tags do not establish what happened to each individual claim. Verify the specific issue against the original Board decision.
Browse decisions mentioning Parkinson's disease →Jump to the decisions from a specific year.
Coverage is incomplete and may lag publication. A year that looks thin or missing here (especially 2011–2017) is a gap in our library, not in the Board’s decisions.
Veterans appealing Parkinson's disease often look at outcomes for these too:
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.